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ACWA Welcomes You
The ACWA Board of Directors, its officers and members would like to welcome you to the online home of the American Chuck Wagon Association, a 501.c.3 organization.
About Our Association
Get To Know Us
The American Chuck Wagon Association started out as a small group of Old West enthusiasts and has expanded to world wide association preserving the American past through competitions, demonstrations, charity and school events and other venues.
Our work is funded by sponsorships (see the power point presentation shown below-right); tax-free donations, honorariums and memorials
(We are a 501.c.3 organization);
cookbook, note card, & cap sales in our General Store (go shopping), as well as membership dues.
For donations, honorariums and memorials, you may send a check to:
ACWA, P.OBox 6538, Lubbock, TX 79493 or call (940) 532 1788 with credit card information.
For Honorariums and Memorials, please include the name of the person remembered/honored, and address for a thank you card.
Youth & the ACWA
Our youth are the future and ACWA supports activities directly involving the youth. We encourage event coordinators to offer a youth
competition at their cook offs whenever possible. If your organization would like to request up to $150 and other ACWA suplies for the
event's youth cook off, please complete this form and submit it via email to Brian Frankum -
wishbonewagon@yahoo.com or send via mail to P O Box 85, Axtell, Texas 76624.
In addition, the ACWA offers scholarships (read more) to individuals each
year. If interested, download an application here.
Scholarship recipients for the upcoming school year are Jennifer L. Miller, of Silverton, TX, and Wyatt Wilson of Abilene, TX.
Education
Another way to involve and educate our youth is with demonstrations. At the ACWA Championship Cook Off in April, 2018, we had over 245 6th graders from Fredericksburg and Hunt ISDs participate in a day long Youth Demonstration Day. There were 10 stations set up and manned by volunteers to allow the youth to see up close and personal a chuck wagon and other items associated with the chuck wagon and trail drive era. If you or your organization has hosted a chuck wagon demonstration, please send the information and pictures to acwa@chuckwagon.org so your event can be featured in the next edition of the ACWA newsletter, Under the Fly.Expansion
Currently ACWA has limited funding for these activities but through your generosity we want to expand our funding of scholarships, youth cook offs and other events! Please consider giving a donation or memorial (specify on your gift - YOUTH) so we can continue and even expand ACWA's involvement!General Store
Want to take home some of that authentic, Old West taste and style? Now you can with ACWA Cookbooks and caps!
Chuck Wagon Catering
Many of our members offer catering services. Check out the link above to contact one of them about bringing some of the finest chuck wagon cooking to your next event.
ACWA News & Events
November 2018, President's Message
As you are reading this, I am concluding my three years on the Board and as your President as I decided
not to seek another term on the ACWA Board of Directors. This decision was not an easy one as I have
thoroughly enjoyed serving the members of ACWA, but with my mother's health getting worse and with my own
health issues I felt I would not have the time to spend on ACWA activities like I have in the past three
years. I am not going away as I hope to continue to serve the members on a couple of committees.
As I reflect on the last three years, I must say it has been a fun ride. Yes, there
have been some ups and downs, but most of all Maribeth and I will remember the
opportunity to travel to 27 different cook off events (three being first time events)
and the opportunity to meet a lot of great people! Also, as a veteran it was an
honor to attend four different events honoring our veterans. A very special memory
is the first year Maribeth and I attended the Wagons for Warriors and helped deliver plates to the
disabled veterans who were unable to go through the serving line. Just to have the
opportunity to say thanks to them for their service to this country was an honor! Maribeth and I
enjoyed the rendezvous in Bennett, Colorado, where we were able to meet many ACWA members outside of
Texas and make new friends! Of course, the four annual meetings - first one in
Fredericksburg, Texas, where I was first elected President, second in Yukon,
Oklahoma at the beautiful Express Clydesdales and last year at Saints' Roost
Museum in Clarendon, Texas, with the tour and lunch on the JA Ranch. As you are
reading this message, I will be presiding over my fourth/last one held in Fort
Smith, Arkansas, where I will hand over the reins to your next President.
As I stated, it has been a privilege to serve the ACWA membership. My priorities
going forward are to get my health issues worked out and spend time on the
chuck wagon I purchased, rebuilt and donated to our Cowboy Church. I hope to
use this chuck wagon in a ministry and to provide an educational opportunity
depicting the role it played in the trail drive era. Right now, our plans are to take it
to schools within a 50-60 mile radius around Salado, Texas. One of the many
reasons I donated the chuck wagon was reaffirmed last year by a teacher in a
rural school saying the chuck wagon we had there is something you would only
see in a museum and most of their kids would not ever get to a museum. My
response was, "Yes and most of the time it would be behind a barrier. We want
the students to have the opportunity to touch the chuck wagon and interact with
the presenters so hopefully they will remember it for the rest of their lives."
Well, it is time to go, but don't think Maribeth and I will fade into the background.
We are both life time members and we still hope to travel to many of the chuck
wagon events! So hopefully we will see you all somewhere along the trail.
"The hungrier the cowboy, the tastier the food." - Anonymous
Happy Trails!
Ronnie Sexton
2018 ACWA President
A Little History
In 1996 at a chuck wagon competition in Amarillo, Texas, a small group of Old West enthusiasts and wagon masters talked about an
association. The mission would be to preserve the heritage of the chuck wagon and its use in the short, but significant, era of the cattle
drives. In 1997, in Bryson, Texas, by-laws and articles of operation were adopted and the American Chuck Wagon Association was off and
running. Today there are members in 31 states, Canada, Germany and France.
Mission statement - Revised 2018
The mission statement of the American Chuck Wagon Association is:
To preserve and present the heritage of the Chuck Wagon.
This will be accomplished by the following Core Values:
- Integrity.
- Education on historically correct aspects of Chuck Wagons and its importance to the beef cattle industry.
- Fair competitive events and the promotion of youth cook-offs.
- Fun for people passionate about chuck wagons.
- A desire to support our communities through various outreaches and educational scholarships.
- Inspiring future generations to embrace the chuck wagon and western heritage.
After 20 years ACWA has a new mailing address, email address and phone number. Effective immediately:
Mailing address: P O Box 6538, Lubbock, Texas 79493
Email: acwa@chuckwagon.org
Phone: 940-532-1788
2018 ACWA Annual Meeting: The 2018 ACWA Annual Meeting was held on November 3, 2018 at the Kay Rodgers Park in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Jack Ramey and Dave Roberts brought wagons to be "judged" followed by some history from Paul Geeslin and discussion on the two wagons. After a great catered meal, the results of the directors and the amendments votes were announced. The amendments to the by-laws all passed.
Sam Howell and Lonnie Tegeler were re-elected and John Conway is the new director.
New Officers are Sam Howell, President; Bobby Mims; Secretary, Russ Richins; Treasurer, Paul Geeslin
Congratulations to the recipients of the awards for 2018:
Pioneer Award - Lonnie and Barbara Tegeler, Rocking T
Hoodlum - Russell Kimble
Young Coosie - Hayley and Jessy Hillis
Best Event - Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium, Ruidoso, New Mexico
The quick count (and unofficial) silent auction brought nearly $1000 for the youth fund. A big Thank You to all who brought "treasures" and to those who bought them.
Click on the dots to see more detail.
Members participate in Cook off competitions, demonstrations, catering, charity events, school visits and many other activities to fulfill that original mission and even surpass the dreams of those organizers. Thank you for visiting our site and we hope you will visit one or more of our chuck wagon events.